February 14, 2013

Typhoon-hit areas in Philippines see rising child hunger

Aid workers in areas recovering from Typhoon Bopha have seen an increase in severely malnourished children, the United Nations said in its latest report on the disaster which hit the southern Philippines island of Mindanao on Dec 4.

Nearly 67,000 children under five and 28,700 pregnant and breastfeeding women are at risk of developing malnutrition as a result of the storm, the report said.

Aid workers found cases of severe acute malnutrition among children in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental, two provinces hit hardest by the storm, had nearly doubled from fewer than 80 on Jan. 21 to 148 on Feb 4.

Cases of moderate acute malnutrition jumped from fewer than 40 to nearly 450 in the same period.

Aid workers are also seeing an increase in the number of severely malnourished children admitted to hospital, a sign that not all cases are being identified in the screening process, the report said.

And hunger levels are likely to worsen in the coming weeks and months, particularly in Davao Oriental, unless families receive more help, the report said.

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Aid workers in areas recovering from Typhoon Bopha have seen an increase in severely malnourished children, the United Nations said in its latest report on the disaster which hit the southern Philippines island of Mindanao on Dec 4.

Nearly 67,000 children under five and 28,700 pregnant and breastfeeding women are at risk of developing malnutrition as a result of the storm, the report said.

Aid workers found cases of severe acute malnutrition among children in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental, two provinces hit hardest by the storm, had nearly doubled from fewer than 80 on Jan. 21 to 148 on Feb 4.

Cases of moderate acute malnutrition jumped from fewer than 40 to nearly 450 in the same period.

Aid workers are also seeing an increase in the number of severely malnourished children admitted to hospital, a sign that not all cases are being identified in the screening process, the report said.

And hunger levels are likely to worsen in the coming weeks and months, particularly in Davao Oriental, unless families receive more help, the report said.